Digital video recording (“DVR”) systems allow users to record media content assets (e.g., television programs, etc.) and then view or otherwise experience the recorded media content assets. For example, a user may use a DVR system to schedule a recording of a particular television program, after which the DVR system may record the television program and allow the user to play back the recorded television program in a time-shifted manner.
Over time, a DVR system may record and store (e.g., within a hard drive) an extensive library of media content assets. The DVR system may also store DVR data associated with the library of media content assets and/or the DVR system. The DVR data may include metadata descriptive of the media content assets, data representative of settings (e.g., recording instructions provided by the user, recording conflict resolution rules, etc.) of the DVR system, and/or data representative of business logic used by the DVR system to implement the various recording instructions provided by the user and/or any other operation performed by the DVR system.
Unfortunately, if the user desires to upgrade or otherwise switch to a new DVR system, the user typically has to program the new DVR system from scratch. For example, the user may have to provide a whole new set of recording instructions to the new DVR system and interact extensively with the new DVR system for the new DVR system to “learn” (i.e., develop the appropriate business logic) the tendencies and/or preferences of the user. This process can be tedious, time consuming, and daunting for the user, especially if the new DVR system has a different interface and/or different specifications than the previous DVR system.
Moreover, it may be difficult or even impossible for the user to rebuild the library of media content assets that he or she had recorded on the previous DVR system. For example, the user may have to manually identify each media content asset that had been recorded and then manually determine how to acquire each media content asset (e.g., by searching within an electronic program guide for a rebroadcast of a particular media content asset and then directing the new DVR system to record the media content asset when it is rebroadcast). In addition to being tedious and time consuming for the user, this process may be futile for some media content assets if they are not scheduled to for rebroadcast.
Such problems and/or difficulties associated with switching to a new DVR system may be exacerbated in situations where the switch requires the user to change DVR service providers. For example, different DVR service providers may utilize different DVR data (e.g., different DVR data formats and/or content). For instance, DVR service providers may have different relationships with content and/or data providers and/or may utilize different media content metadata (e.g., metadata from different metadata providers) having different formats and/or content. Moreover, DVR systems associated with different DVR service providers may have different specifications (e.g., different capabilities, resources, etc.). For these and/or other reasons, a user who changes from one DVR service provider to another DVR service provider traditionally has had few if any options for migrating DVR data and/or recorded media content assets from a previous DVR system to a new DVR system.